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Say it in Scots: Fit

Fit, though, is a much-used word in many compounds and phrases. Enough has been said about “fitba” recently and so A’ll pit ma best fit forrit and move on to other things. Perhaps the second best-known compound of fit in Scotland is “first-fit”. It is now the first person to cross your threshold in the new year, but it used to be of wider currency and referred to the first person or animal you met when beginning a journey, starting a new job or embarking on any enterprise.

A dog, cow, horse or moorland bird were “guid feet”, but people with certain physical characteristics were regarded as unlucky.

According to EJ Guthrie in Old Scottish Customs (1885): “The expressions ‘happy and unhappy feet’ were made use of in the interchange of good and bad wishes. Thus, they wished a